The present invention relates to water slides.
It has generally been a practice in the water slide industry to have one position from which one may enter the water slide. Because of this, those waiting to get onto the slide generally line up behind the entrance to the slide in a single file manner. This slows down access to the slide and creates long waiting periods in line. The entries to most water slides are also very difficult for the average person and because of such difficulty are very much lacking in safety requirements.
A feature of most water slides which further increases the time necessary to allow one person to use a slide is that exit off the slide into a pool is generally at one spot in the recovery pool. This necessitates, for safety reasons, a delay period during which time the last person off the slide must swim away from the spot in the pool at which people exit off the water slide and into the pool. Also, because of the difference in speed of persons using the slide, accidents occur by reason of one person hitting another at the recovery end of the slide.
A further feature of present water slides is the use of a gushing torrent of water in which people are propelled down the water slide. This rate of flow of water increases the cost of present water slides by requiring larger pumps.
Thus, there is a need for entry systems which allow the rapid and safe handling of a large volume of people. There is also a need for a recovery system which prevents individuals from landing on top of each other. Finally, there is a need for introducing water into the water slide in a less forceful way than is presently done, and which reduces the total amount of water required while at the same time allowing a rapid rate of acceleration and excitement which is generally expected out of a water slide.